Soaring Free
by Periwinkle Dwarves
Summary: Teo is a sort off-to-the-side character but I really like him so here is what happens in to him throughout the series and even his life before that. Teo's POV


**I always liked Teo best of the people the Gaang meets on their travels and I thought he was an interesting character who's past and thoughts would be fun to write about. So here it is!**

I am a thirteen year old cripple who lives in the recreated ruins of the Northern Air Temple with my father and the rest of our people. My mother died when I was young, in a flood. The same flood that disabled me, put me into a wheelchair for life, and forced my father and the other villagers to move to a safer place. That took them to the Northern Air Temple.

I was very small when it started to rain for days on end and I can't remember this much. But I do remember when the water rose up and swallowed are houses. Swallowed my mother and then me.

There was nothing at first as I instinctively held my breath, it was almost peaceful-the pure weightlessness of being surrounded by gallons and gallons of blue shimmering water. Then my lungs started to ache and I felt crushed by the tons of liquid. I thrashed, my black hair fanning out around me, my gray eyes helplessly, hopelessly seeking out my mother who had been in the room with me when this nightmare had started.

The weight was so painful! So incredible! Water pounded me, jerking my tiny form as it flowed and swirled. I felt like a rag doll. I knew I would have to open my small mouth to breath and drown.

Suddenly arms appeared around my tiny torso and pulled me upwards, to the surface. I twisted in surprise to look up at my savior. Dad! He was saving me, risking his own life to save me! He was a hero! That is what he always remained in my mind as I grew up, a hero.

Afterwards it was a blur of pain-pain at finding out my mother was gone, pain in learning I would never walk again (though I was still quite small and couldn't really understand what was happening)-and I can't really remember anything until we came upon the Northern Air Temple. The first time I saw the Temple I knew, even as young as I was, that it was the most wonderful building in the land.

On top of a cliff, the only way up a narrow stone pathway winding up the side, was a building with giant spires and towers of tan with roofs of dark green. It was as tall and taller then the surrounding snow-capped mountains, hidden in the fluffy white clouds. My father and the other men made the deserted tower a fit home for us and I always went exploring in it my new wheelchair.

Sometimes, as I grew, thinks weren't so great for me though. Some other children-Tanek, Cyrus, and their little gang-would always pick on me for being a cripple, and leer at me because I had no mother. If I cried (which only happened a few times) they would just become nastier saying "Oh look at the cry baby! Why don't you go run to your mommy? Oh that's right she's _dead_, isn't she? And your dad is always holed up in his workshop blowing things up!"

I would see the other kids running and jumping and just _using their legs_ and know I shouldn't be jealous-that would never get anything done-but sometimes I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if that flood hadn't crippled me. I felt confined to my box-with-wheels and I would get angry. Angry that my mother had died, angry my legs wouldn't work, and angry that my father couldn't create something that would help me feel free, _somehow_.

Then he came to saved me again. He _did _create something, a glider that would fit to the top of my wheelchair. He helped me practice, fixed what needed to be fixed, and in the end I was the best glider in the whole Northern Air Temple.

The glider was my way to escape, if anything happened that upset me I could go and fly and I would feel better. It made me believe that just because I am a cripple that doesn't mean I can't feel free and live like others. This gave me closer. There was nothing that compared to my gliding in the air around my beloved Temple. I loved the feel of the icy wind in my hair, it whipping my cheeks, and how up there, in the clouds, I was soaring free.

Then I met the Avatar and his friends, learned the true meaning to flying, and learned that my father was making weapons for the enemy. I had never been more disappointed in anyone than when I saw the room full of blue prints, machines, and the huge Fire Nation flag all there by my father's hand. But he apologized, he stood up to the Fire Nation soldiers, and I couldn't stay mad at him. Especially since he was the only family I had. The one who was always there for me.

We fought the Fire Nation with all we had when they came to take over the Temple and I flew above with the others in their gliders dropping different kinds of stink bombs onto the iron-clad soldiers marching below us. I was in awe of the power the Avatar, Aang and his waterbending friend, Katara, wielded as they took down tank after tank and finally helped us defeat them and save our home.

It was months later when more water tribe men, that reminded me of Katara and Sokka, came and asked for the help of my father and I. We immediately agreed, eager to help the boy who was going to save the world. I soon learned that this man, Hakoda, was Katara and Sokka's father-no wonder there was a resembalance. We came off of the boat finally ready to learn Sokka's invasion plan and I had a hard time hiding my smile as the older boy got stage fright and started babbling his poor, meat-loving head off.

We set off again soon after and I was glowing with anticipation of the huge battle soon to come. We were battered slightly under the water, then we were released on Fire Nation land. I rolled my wheelchair in front of one of our tanks, among the water tribe warriors. We were doing _so_ well then something went wrong, I'm still not sure what it was, but we messed up somewhere, somehow and were forced to retreat. We knew that after the submarines were blown up only the young ones should escape on Appa so tearfully I hugged my father good-bye and was lifted onto the flying bison's back.

After so many weeks at the Western Air Temple (which was very different from the Northern Air Temple) and getting to know Haru, The Duke, Prince Zuko, and the others more, Azula attacked us again and we were forced to split up. I went along with Hakoda, The Duke, Chit Sang, and Haru while the others fled on Appa.

The wait was agonizing and we all stood terrified, weeks later, watching as the sky was lit up with a blazing scarlet glow from Sozin's comet. But it came and passed without everyone burnig, there was no declaration of the Firelord being victorious. We were all worried unable to sit still until we got news. That news came in the form of a Southern Water Tribe man who ran up to where they were staying yelling "Hakoda, Hakoda! The wars over, the Avatar, the prince, and you kids finished it! Katara and Sokka are heroes!"

I rolled through the crowded yard looking around for my father. I had just left Hakoda who was looking for Sokka and Katara and I was desperately searching for Dad. I stretched up in my seat, my gray eyes sweeping the throng for his crazy hair and messed up eyebrows. There! "Dad! Dad!" He ran over to me and embraced me. I hugged him back happily seeing, out of the corner of my eye, Katara and Sokka running up to their father, too.

Yes I have had a lot happen to me in my short thirteen years, but now that the war is over-now that the Avatar, my great friend Aang has triumphed-I can just go back to live peacefully at my Northern Air Temple. And that is where you can always find me up in my glider, soaring free.


End file.
